Post by gnome on Jun 21, 2006 12:05:52 GMT -5

When I got in, there was a bunch of people talking in the shade tent. I came up to them and asked "Inforoo?" and at first nobody seemed to notice, but then LIGuy said "What? Inforoo? Oh, hi!" and from then on everyone was really nice. Someone even offered to help us set up our rain tarp.

Post by Leo on Jun 21, 2006 19:22:27 GMT -5

Jeeze, I had no idea that people felt unwelcome at the Camp. I honestly thought that those that clustered on their own were doing it b/c they wanted to, not b/c they felt excluded. Everyone was always welcome to join whatever group was hanging out where ever. We had a couple of semi-permanant setups, but I would have loved it if more people joined in, everyone has their own kind of weirdness (I fly a flag with a friggin baby on it for Jebus sake, if that's not weird...). If I made anyone feel sh1tty, I'm sorry, I don't have a good memory for names or faces under the best of circumstances, and 'roo, well... so if I didn't recognize you right away, hey thats me, not you. I know that not everyone "clicks" w/ everyone but if I had any idea that folks were feeling marginallized I would have tried to bring them into the fold. Honestly, after reading the bad experiences so many folks had w/ the Camp, I don't want to do it again. My goal was to bring people together and it seems I have done the exact opposite. Sorry.

Post by Dude on Jun 21, 2006 19:47:42 GMT -5

dont stop leo. all you had to do was come in and go up to someone and start a conversation. i think it worked out well. like i said i wasnt there much but while i was there everyone was friendly. you just gotta throw yourself into the mix. if you come and stand in a corner then your bound to have no fun. if you came in yelling inforoo and saying whats up to everybody i found friendly conversation easy to come by. its so hard to make scheduled meet ups at roo. i wish i had stopeed in more. the ony thing i would say is i cant beleive how early everyone passed otut there. i came through late a few times and it was as quiet as could be. anyway many of us appreciated it your effort and i hope that it continues next year. i plan to drag my stuff over there. we were so close this year that we should have. but we were already setup before i saw your flag 150 yards away

Post by crazykittensmile on Jun 21, 2006 19:59:43 GMT -5

no way, camp inforoo must live on

and leo, don't take any of this on yourself, you did an amazing job setting up this camp and i know i appreciated everyone's company greatly, especially since i came alone (to my first bonnaroo, no less)

in hindsight, i think thursday was a bad day to set up meeting at the camp

i know personally, i got there super late and i was only there for a little while to set up my tent and then i was off to centeroo... the camp didn't even finish filling out until saturday

when i first showed up, everybody was doing their own thing, nobody jumped up and gave me a group hug or anything... i didn't really see it as a problem though, i know it takes a while for things to warm up sometimes... and trust me folks they DID warm up ;D (see: went from no hugs to being dry humped in a matter of hours)

i think the combination of people getting themselves situated along with the fact that a large number of people at the camp were friends of inforoosters that were just along for the ride may have had something to do with what some of you felt was a chilly response

I'm sorry if you all have any hard feelings, but I thought we were pretty hospitable to anyone that stopped by and introduced themselves once the ball got rolling

Post by rob on Jun 21, 2006 20:07:35 GMT -5

leo, i think the majority of us had a great time. so don't feel bad about setting it up. a lot of us were brought together and speaking as a solo-rooster i don't think i would have had nearly as good a time if camp inforoo wasn't there.

personally, around the time dmb and others stopped by, i had lugged all my camping gear from my car in the mid-afternoon heat and just set up camp. so, i didn't really have the energy to be super friendly to anyone. sorry if anyone took offense. i don't do well in large groups of strangers anyway. i found a few friends to hang with and had a blast the rest of the weekend.

i hope everyone will be willing to give this another shot next year. i'm looking forward to it.

Post by nol13 on Jun 21, 2006 20:11:29 GMT -5

I really regret its not stoping by to inforoo camp, i glanced around for the baby flag but there was too much going on i guess to do a more thourogh check. Figured I'd at least see someone around. Oh well, maybe next time.

Post by Tara on Jun 21, 2006 21:28:15 GMT -5

Leo do NOT blame yourself... I'm thinking that since people got "wierd looks" when they said inforoo that those weren't all inforoo people that they ran into... cause whenEVER someone came by the rest of the weekend everybody was super-friendly and we were all asking about posters that we didn't run into

You were a great part of the inforoo camp out and it would not be the same without you

Post by brewski on Jun 21, 2006 23:11:56 GMT -5

Honestly, after reading the bad experiences so many folks had w/ the Camp, I don't want to do it again. My goal was to bring people together and it seems I have done the exact opposite. Sorry.

It would be a shame if you didn't get an Inforoo camp together again. This was my first Bonnaroo (actually my first music festival, in general) and this group made me feel right at home. I went solo and would have been totally lost without the Inforoo campsite. I had a great time and I am so glad that I got to meet a bunch of you (Although, I do have to say, I'm not sure I remember all the usernames, real names, and faces of all that I did meet). Special thanks to Keith for hooking me up with cold beer and water.

Leo, when you get a chance, I'd love to see all the random/candid pictures that were taken on your camera one night inside the shade tent. Brian, you should definitely post your sketches and pictures as well.

I also didn't arrive to the campsite until nearly 8pm, so I'm guessing that when many people stopped by Inforooers may not have been at camp yet.

Anyhow, thanks to all the cool people who made this such a fun experience for me.

Post by gnome on Jun 21, 2006 23:12:25 GMT -5

Haha, yes there is...it's when you think it's a good idea to burn a Bonnaroo scar into the palm of your hand Or when you decide to rip your shirt in half.

damn, I am so mad that I caused and then missed that hulk-like shirt move!

You know, everyone's saying what a good opener for the festival the Wood Brothers were, and I agree, but the guy complaining about how cold he was and then ripping his shirt off was pretty amazing too...

Post by brewski on Jun 21, 2006 23:18:43 GMT -5

Who would have thought that I would have little use for the "real" comedy tent? With Jason in the shade tent, I had more comedy then I could handle. ;D In addition to the Bonnaroo scar, and strip show the first night, he provided us all with some pretty amusing (at times disturbing) animal stories.

Post by crazykittensmile on Jun 21, 2006 23:26:20 GMT -5

gnome said:

taraanne81 said:

damn, I am so mad that I caused and then missed that hulk-like shirt move!

You know, everyone's saying what a good opener for the festival the Wood Brothers were, and I agree, but the guy complaining about how cold he was and then ripping his shirt off was pretty amazing too...

hahaha, yes, it was awesome... maybe that's why he tried to set it on fire seconds later, for warmth

Post by LIguy on Jun 22, 2006 11:21:20 GMT -5

I will lay the law down right now and say Camp Inforoo will carry on for next year in some form ;D You did an excellent job getting the group together, Leo. You should give yourself a pat on the back to finally pull it off.

Next year when we do the meet ups maybe do it late on Thursday or Friday sometime. I agree with some people that an early meet up is not great just because people are still getting settled. Also, I will give credit to Crazykittensmile for sugesting to have name tags on so it will be eaiser to spot the inforoo peeps and save on alot of confusion.

Post by JasonUSMC on Jun 22, 2006 11:36:02 GMT -5

crazykittensmile said:

nobody jumped up and gave me a group hug or anything... i didn't really see it as a problem though, i know it takes a while for things to warm up sometimes... and trust me folks they DID warm up ;D (see: went from no hugs to being dry humped in a matter of hours)

Yeah, I guess I did kind of dry hump you a bit, huh?? I blame the tequila...or DO i.....

I'm SO glad that I could keep ya'll entertained!! That just goes to show how incredibly comfortable I was around all the ultra-friendly people at Camp Inforoo!! I REALLY had a blast and within minutes of being there I felt like I was surrounded by friends and almost family. Why else would I rip my shirt off in front of total strangers??

By the way, the scar is settling in nicely. I do believe it is permanant. Not exactly a place where the sun can make it fade away, so I expect I'll have this the next time ya'll see me. Damned Blender.

Bottom line, I agree with everyone else-if the meet time had been different, the inforoo campers would not have been so tired, and people would have felt much more welcome. I would not trade it for the world.

Camp Inforoo was the second greatest time of my life-and believe me, i've had some great times.

Post by Tara on Jun 22, 2006 11:38:09 GMT -5

jasonusmc said:

crazykittensmile said:

nobody jumped up and gave me a group hug or anything... i didn't really see it as a problem though, i know it takes a while for things to warm up sometimes... and trust me folks they DID warm up ;D (see: went from no hugs to being dry humped in a matter of hours)

Yeah, I guess I did kind of dry hump you a bit, huh?? I blame the tequila...or DO i.....

You dry humped her also? I thought it was just me! Man Jen, what did you put in our tequila!!? I knew it wasn't my fault

Post by dunedingirl on Jun 22, 2006 11:54:57 GMT -5

Yeah, I guess I sounded a little pissy and I am sorry for that. I was just very excited to meet everyone and it was a let down but that is probably more my fault than anyone else's. We were really tired too and it was really hot and I probably wouldn't be too enthusiastic either. I am not blaming Leo or anyone else, just thought it would be different, I guess. I should have tried another day once everyone got settled in and loosened up a bit but I felt very awkward and figured I would see people w/ the t- shirts on but no luck...not even one. I know alot of work and planning went into it and don't want to offend anyone.

I think the Camp Inforoo thing is great and should continue to grow and flourish but just thought neutral territory would be easier for the people walking up for the first time. I brought name tags this year for everyone and will save them for next year when I meet everyone.It sounds like you all had a blast and I am sorry I missed it. I am sure it would have been more exciting then my campsite. They all were in bed by midnight and aren't even 50....jeez, it gives us over 40 a bad name. I hope everyone heals and feels better soon and I can't wait to see the pics.

Post by Hipster Doofus on Jun 22, 2006 12:35:47 GMT -5

Ugh....what a week!! If I go to another Bonnaroo (those odds are about 50/50) I'm definitely just going with one or two people, or by myself, and camping with the good old inforoo crew. My trip was a complete disaster. Our super awesome, brand new RV was great.....that is until the hose to the radiator broke off about 30 miles away from Manchester on Thursday. We were stranded on the side of the road for about 2 hours in the sun. Somehow we were able to get the hose hooked back up, hitch a ride for more radiator fluid, and get things running on our own though. Once we got back on the road I made the comment "Well, if that's the worst thing that happens this weekend, we'll be all right!" What a fricking stupid thing to say!!

We were stuck at the very back of the RV section right on the border to 24 when we got in. It wasn't that far of a walk to Centeroo, but we had to deal with people breaking in to the festival by jumping over the fence, and by the end there was some nasty vigilantism going on. My group of 9 couldn't get on the same page and we all over did it big time on the party favors. Then during Phil & Friends came the capper as our RV got broken into and we got jacked bigtime. There are a few more explicit stories that I'm not going to get into here, but all in all I'm just happy I made it back.

At the top of my long list of regrets/disappointments is not getting to meet all of you that have been so cool the last few months.....maybe part of this trip could have been salvaged by getting to know some of you, but alas I was either in too shitty of a mood to do so, or F'd up out of my mind.